The present invention relates to zippers and, more particularly, to a two way open-end zipper, which is easy and inexpensive to manufacture and, enables the user to replace the slides when the slides damaged.
FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate a two way open-end zipper 8 according to the prior art. This structure of two way open-end zipper 8 is still not satisfactory in function. Because the left and right top stops 81, the left bottom pin (the plug pin) 83 and the right bottom pin (the fixed pin) 84 are stamped from metal containing lead and nickel, the zipper 8 does not meet environment protection requirements. When pulling the lower slide 91 downwards with much force, the lower slide 91 may be moved over the plug pin 83 and disconnected from the zipper 8. When the lower slide 91 moved to the lower limit position, the bottom side of the lower slide 91 downwardly protrudes over the bottom end 801 of the zipper tape 80 (see FIG. 2), resulting in a bad looking. Further, it is inconvenient to stitch the zipper 8 to the clothes.
There are known two way open-end zippers in which the top stops and the bottom pins are directly injection-molded from plastics on the zipper tapes. However, because the top stops and the bottom pins must be separately injection-molded on the zipper tapes, the fabrication procedure of these zippers is complicated, resulting in a high manufacturing cost.
Therefore, it is desirable to provide a two way open-end zipper that eliminates the aforesaid drawbacks.
The present invention has been accomplished to provide a two way open-end zipper, which eliminates the aforesaid drawbacks. According to one aspect of the present invention, the top stops and the plug and fixed pins are injection-molded from plastics on the zipper tapes at a time, therefore the fabrication of the two way open-end zipper is simple and economic. According to another aspect of the present invention, the slides are detachably coupled to the zipper tapes. When the slides damaged, they can be removed from said zipper tapes for a replacement. According to still another aspect of the present invention, when the lower slide moved to the lower limit position, the bottom side of said lower slide is maintained in front of the bottom side of the corresponding zipper tape. According to still another aspect of the present invention, the fixed pin has a first upright sidewall, a second upright sidewall, a longitudinal sliding way defined between the first and second upright sidewalls for the passing of the slides during installation of the slides, and a springy hook projected from the first upright side wall into the longitudinal sliding way and adapted to stop the slides in place when the slides moved downwards along the zipper tapes to the lower limit position. According to still another aspect of the present invention, the fixed pin has a recessed portion formed in the second upright sidewall and adapted to accommodate the tip of the spring hook. The combined width of the maximum width of the tip of the spring hook plug the width of the second upright sidewall around the recessed portion is slightly smaller than the passageway of each slide for interlocking teeth of the zipper tapes, the slides can easily and smoothly be moved over the fixed pin and coupled to the zipper tapes, which may be made for a small zipper, for example, No. 3 or No. 4.